Pokemon: Delayed Departure
by Blanque
Summary: Aubert was supposed to start his Pokemon adventure 8 years ago but never did. Join him and his companions as he makes his way through a world where everyone else has gotten a head start.
1. Chapter 1

A lone boy sat at the pc in his room. With the curtains drawn and the lights off, the only light came from the screen which illuminated the pale boys face. His eyes

stared at the screen, his mouse clicking every now and then to get to browse the next page. He would have went on like this for the rest of the day before retiring to

bed. His mother however, had different plans for him. She opened the door and flicked the light switch, causing her son to cringe from the sudden brightness.

"Aubert, we need to talk" she said, putting her hands on her hips. Aubert finally re-opened his eyes and looked up at his mother without a word. Her lips tightened

as she took in his appearance. Pale. Circles under his eyes. As thin as a twig. All she wanted to do was comfort him, to take him in her arms and tell him she would

take care of him; but she knew what she had to do if her son was ever to grow to be strong. She had tried everything she could over the years, and this was her

last resort. She took a deep breath to strengthen her resolve.

" It's been eight years. We both know you should have started your journey a long time ago"

Aubert's eyes widened and he abruptly stood up, his computer chair roiling back into his bed from the sudden force. "You can't be serious!" he exclaimed. His

naturally quiet voice was groggy from not speaking. Auberts mother was pleased, seeing her son animated for the first time in years even if he wasn't happy about

it.

"I am serious. I talked to the professor, and your starter you had picked is still there. Your bag is packed with everything you need. It's in the porch."

"Y..You're k-kicking me out.." He said. His shoulders slumped, and he stared down at his shoes. His breathing started to quicken and he ran a hand through his

messy brown hair.

"Aubert, it's been eight years. We both know this had to happen."

"But..there are lots of people who don't train Pokemon!" He said, looking back up at his mother desperately. "I could do something else!" His mother inwardly

cringed at his expression, wanting to lie and say it was all a joke; but she had to do this. For his own good.

"Honey, we both know that is not going to happen." She walked over to the computer he had been at and moved to mouse to rid it of its screen saver. On the

screen were dozens of tabs open to pages all about raising Pokemon, Pokemon battle 101, current gym leaders, etcetera.

"I..that's..." Aubert looked embarrassed at being caught, and returned to looking at his feet. "I..I can't.." he mumbled. "I'm no good.."

His mother kissed her son on the cheek, which was a challenge because of his height. "Sweetie, you're ready. You've had so much time to prepare. I know that is

what you've been doing. I know you can do this, you don't need to be afraid."

Aubert nodded, his mouth shut tight in a grimace. He grabbed his grey hoodie embossed with a black poke ball and pulled it on. He gave his mother a hug and

proceeded down the stairs to the porch where he found his rucksack stuffed to bursting with provisions. He heard steps, and looked over his shoulder to see his

mother teary eyed as her soon took the steps to finally leave home.

"I'll miss you mom.. I call as soon as I get to Viridian.."He said as he pulled the pack over his shoulder.

"I know baby.. remember to talk to the Professor. And be safe out there" she said, sniffing.

"I will" replied Aubert. He pulled his hood over his head and opened the door.

Aubert shut the door behind him and walked down the familiar road. His home was located on the edge of pallet town in a small tree covered area most people

referred to as the Pineroad. Aubert suddenly stopped, leaning on one of the tree's at the edge of the path. He took several deep breaths with his eyes closed.

"Ok, I can do this. It wont be like last time. It wont be like last time," he repeated. He took another deep breath and with strong purposeful steps continued to the

main road of Pallet Town.

"It won't be like last time. It won't be like last time.."

**Author Notes-**

Hello, thanks for reading my first work. I haven't written any stories in quite a long time, and this is the first one i've attempted to share.

The rating is M due to later chapters. Lots of foul mouthed characters and violence. Perhaps some fleeting romantics.

Any comments or advice would be very much appreciated. I have the general idea of the storyline planned out, but this doesn't mean that it isn't subject to change

so suggestions are welcome.

Thanks again for viewing this. Next chapter you'll get introduced to the two trainers who started their journey the same time Aubert was supposed to start his.

Farewell for now.


	2. Chapter 2

Aubert stood in front of the door to Professor Oak's Lab, hand poised to knock. He took a deep breath and was about to rapt his knuckles down when the door opened, revealing a girl a little older than him dressed in a lab coat and wearing a blue dress underneath. Her face was adorned with big round glasses. She had long black hair that reached her knees and was parted perfectly in the middle. She was walking at a fast pace and engrossed in a folder of paperwork, so much so that she did not see Aubert. She smacked right into him which caused both of them to fall to the ground

. Aubert was first aware of the bump that was most definitely forming on the back of his head, secondly of the weight which was distributed on top of him, and thirdly of one- no wait two- very large...objects(?!) that were resting on his face. It took a second to take in what had just happened. As soon as he realized what predicament he was in Aubert could feel his face turning as red as a Flareon.

"Whoops!" laughed the girl, getting up and brushing off her clothing. Aubert quickly scrambled to his feet and collected her papers, handing them back to her. He did all this without looking her in the eyes. "Sorry! S-so- I'm so sorry!" he blurted out, stepping away from her quickly.

"Haha, no it was my fault! I need to look where I walk, no matter HOW interesting the research paper is!" the woman said with a grin. " My name is Ada, one of Professor Oak's assistants!" She held out her hand for Aubert to shake. He meekly took it and performed the social interaction before quickly shoving his hands back to his sides.

"Aubert" he said, and then cleared his throat. "I mean, that's my name. Aubert..."

" Well, nice to meet you Aubert! Now, the Professor has stepped out for just a moment. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Well... I was supposed to come here so that.." he blushed furiously and looked down at his feet. It was embarrassing. He didn't want her to know that he was only starting his journey now. She only looked only a little older than him and she was already working as a scientist for fucks sake. Yeah, she would definitely think something was wrong with him.

"I just need to speak with him. The professor I mean. I need to speak to the professor." he fumbled. "When's he gonna be back?"

"He should be back in about an hour. He just left for lunch. I was about to head on out myself if you wanted to join me?" she asked.

Aubert was surprised she asked him, especially after what had just happened. That, plus his obviously awkward personality does not a good companion make. The thought that she was ok with spending time with him despite his sub par social skills made him smile a bit. No way in hell was he about to go sit at a table and fail at making small talk for an hour, but still the thought warmed him a bit. He opened his mouth to decline her when his stomach let out a loud rumble, making Ada laugh.

"N-no thanks!" he stuttered. "I have something I need to do, I'll check back in a bit! Bye!" And as quick as he could Aubert turned on his heels and began walking away at a brisk pace. He heard a faint "Nice to meet you!" behind him. He peeked over his shoulder and saw Ada waving to him all cheery-like. He smiled a little and waved back shyly.

'That..could have been worse.' he thought to himself. 'I can get better at this.. all I need is practice..yeah.'

He turned the corner at the end of the lane and kept walking, not really having a destination in mind. His stomach growled again again and he sighed. He fished out a Ragecandybar from his pack to keep his hunger at bay. He continued walked without direction, replaying the small conversation he had just had in his head over a couple more times. Soon he found himself at the edge of Pallet town, tall grass visible just after the towns threshold.

"I've never been outside town before.." he mumbled. In a world that was populated with creatures that could barbeque you on sight one had to take care. That meant no wandering off into the wilderness without a companion Pokemon or someone who had Pokemon themselves. Aubert stared beyond the gates, imaging all the different types of Pokemon that were just a few steps out of his reach. He knew, realistically, that only rattata and pigey populated the grass just outside of town but he let his mind wander to all the places beyond. All the fantastic places that were to be traveled to and the amazing creatures there. Soon Aubert found himself feeling...angry. Angry at himself for all the opportunities missed, angry that by now he could have had an entire team of Pokemon fully trained. And angry at them; the other two trainers who had chosen their Pokemon on the same day as he had and started their adventure.

"Are YOU really starting your adventure today?" " You won't last a week, ya wimp"

Children can be cruel, and they had been no exception. But Aubert was no longer a child, and he felt stronger.

"I'm going to go get my Pokemon. And then, I'm gonna go past this gate and be the best goddamn trainer I can" he thought proudly to himself. He checked his watch, and then turned to head back to the Lab.

This time when Aubert got to the Lab, he didn't hesitate before he knocked on the door. Moments later a man in a lab coat answered the door. "I'm h-here to see the professor!" said Aubert loudly. He gave himself a mental pat on the back for almost no shaking in his voice at all. The Aide merely nodded and directed him inside all the while wearing a bored expression like he would rather go back to his research. Soon Aubert reached the back of the Lab, where a familiar tabled stood that this time only house one pokeball instead of three. The Professor stood to the side of the table with a smile on his face, waiting for them to get closer before speaking.

"Aubert, I'm glad to finally see you again my boy. I was worried you had given up on becoming a trainer" said Oak. Aubert shook his head, and took a deep breath before he spoke.

"I.. I haven't given up! I want to be a trainer. I want to raise pokemon!"

Oak beamed at him. "Thats just what I wanted to hear. Your pokemon is on the table"

Aubert strode over to the table and reached out to the single red and white sphere that sat there. He gulped, and then tossed the ball. There was a flash of light, and before Aubert stood a tiny orange lizard. A charmander. But something was...off. In every picture or video Aubert had ever seen of a Charmander they usually had this bright eyed gleam in their eyes. A wide eyed innocence. This charmander, however, looked irritated. It sighed and looked up at its new trainer, and then tilted its head.

Aubert reached out to pet the creature but it moved its head away and spat a spark out, singeing the floor slightly. This Charmander had an attitude problem, a big one. He wondered for a moment what could have cause it until it suddenly hit him; this Charmander had been left here all this time. Waiting for his trainer (him) to come and get him. Aubert felt guilt well up in the pit of his stomach.

"Look... I'm sorry I took so long" he said softly. The Charmander rolled its eyes and looked off to the side. Aubert cleared his throat, and tried again.

"I'm sorry. You waited.. a real freaking long time for me. But i'm here now, 'an I wanna take ya on my adventure"

The Charmander glanced back into Auberts waiting gaze and then sighed. It gave a slight nod, and Aubert smiled. He then stored his new Pokemon back into its capsule and then fastened it to his belt.

"Figured out a name for your Charmander?" asked Oak

Aubert nodded. "Spitfire.." he mumbled.

"A fine name." said Oak. " You and Spitfire will become great friends i'm sure."

"I hope so" said Aubert, scratching his head. "Anyways...thanks Prof... thanks for caring for the little guy."

"It's no trouble. What kind of professor would I be if I didn't care for pokemon? But there is something I need to discuss with you" Aubert looked worried but nodded for the professor to continue. "I need to sent one of my Aides to pewter city. They need some help verifying some information for their museum. Unfortunately she isn't a pokemon trainer and needs an escort. Would you be able to make sure she safely arrives?"

Aubert nodded. Normally he would have dreaded the thought of travelling with a stranger, but he was a new trainer. Sure he had done a lot of research, but it couldn't hurt to have someone who studies pokemon for a living around for a few days. Wait, she?

"Fancy bumping into you again!"

Aubert saw Ada walk out from behind one of the many bookcases, this time with a duffelbag slung over her shoulder.


End file.
